A Comparative Corpus-based Study on the Use of Phrasal Verbs by Turkish EFL Learners and L1 English Speakers

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Adam

This quantitative study compares the use of phrasal verbs by L1 English speakers and Turkish EFL learners across written and spoken registers using four corpora (two learner, two native). It identifies the most frequent phrasal verbs and, within phrasal constructions, the most frequent adverbial verb particles and lexical verb types, examining overuse and underuse patterns. Results show strong similarity in PV and AVP type profiles, yet significant underuse by Turkish learners—especially in spoken register—offering guidance for EFL instruction.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Research questions

Advances in Language and Literary Studies ISSN: 2203-4714 [www.alls.aiac.org.au](www.alls.aiac.org.au) | A Comparative Corpus-based Study on the Use of Phrasal Verbs by Turkish EFL Learners and L1 English Speakers
Nebahat Badem*, Tuğba Şimşek
Adana Alparslan Türkeş Science and Technology University, School of Foreign Languages, 01250 Sarıçam, Adana, Turkey Corresponding Author: Nebahat Badem, [E-mail: nebahatbadem@gmail.com](E-mail: nebahatbadem@gmail.com) | | | --- | --- | | ARTICLE INFO | ABSTRACT
This quantitative study aims to reveal the most frequently used phrasal verbs (PVs) by L1 speakers of English and Turkish EFL learners in written and spoken registers. With the purpose of spotting any overuse and/or underuse by Turkish EFL learners, it compares their usage to L1 English speakers’ through four corpora – two learner corpora and two native corpora. Additionally, the study investigates the most frequent adverbial verb particles (AVPs) and lexical verbs (LVs) in phrasal constructions comparing learners and native speakers. The results show that although LV types differ to a large extent, Turkish EFL learners display a similar profile to L1 English speakers in terms of types of PVs and AVPs. However, these verbs and particles are significantly underused, especially in spoken register – a result that contradicts previous research. Specifically, within the scope of this study, regardless of the register Turkish learners tend to favour few AVPs out of the mostly used ten while leaving out the others. The findings might be of use to EFL teachers regarding raising their students’ awareness on the contextual use of PVs in different registers with a combination of both implicit and explicit teaching in mind. In addition, learners can benefit from the ready-made PV lists to enhance their prospective usage in meaningful contexts. | | Article history
Received: September 07, 2021
Accepted: November 17, 2021
Published: December 31, 2021
Volume: 12 Issue: 6
Advance access: December 2021 | | | Conflicts of interest: None
Funding: None | | | Key words:
Phrasal Verbs, Learner Corpora, Native Corpora, Turkish EFL Learners, L1 English Speakers, Spoken Register, Written Register | | INTRODUCTION Several researchers highlighted the importance of multiword knowledge in the development of native like fluency (Godwin-Jones, 2018; Moon, 1997; Schmitt, 2004; Wray, 2002) . Gardner & Davies (2007) suggest that learning multiword structures such as idioms, phrasal verbs, and collocational phrases is essential to English, and using these units, which are very common and highly productive, adds “a definite richness to the language”(p. 339) . However, teaching and learning of these multiword units has always been problematic due to methodological issues and the assessment techniques (Chen, 2013; Read, 2000) . Learners might feel under pressure or challenged due to the quantity of PVs, their multiple meanings, and complicated syntactic structures (Lee, 2015) . Riguel (2014) suggests that the constraints emerging due to L1’s linguistic characteristics are another difficulty to learn these semantically and syntactically complex units. As these multiword units pose a challenge for the learners, they might tend to avoid these structures in their language output; interestingly even learners whose L1 possesses PV structures frequently show avoidance (Gardner & Davies, 2007) . In light of the findings from research, it can be deduced that PVs are commonly used by native speakers of the English language. However, deciding on the most frequently used PVs by native speakers and teaching these to EFL learners has been challenging for language teachers as they mostly rely on their intuition instead of frequency-based research results (Darwin & Gray, 2000) . Therefore, it bears utmost significance that their instruction for language learners in classrooms should be informed by authentic language to reflect their use in c

FAQs

What is the main goal of the study?

To identify the most frequently used phrasal verbs by native English speakers and Turkish EFL learners, and to detect overuse and/or underuse by comparing learner usage with native usage across registers.

How does the study compare learners and native speakers?

It uses four corpora—two learner corpora and two native corpora—and compares phrasal verb usage in both written and spoken registers.

What key finding emerges for Turkish EFL learners?

Although lexical verb types differ substantially, Turkish EFL learners show a similar profile to L1 English speakers in PV and adverbial verb particle types, but they significantly underuse these forms, particularly in the spoken register.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Adam